Societies at Crossroads; The Russian Empire Under Pressure

Military Defeat and Social Reform

1853-1856
Russia had a "respected and feared" military power"
They expanded east, south, and southwest which was into the Ottoman lands where they tried to form a protectorate
This threatened the balance of power so Britain, France, Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire allied together to stop the Russians which started the Crimean War
September 1854 the allied forces attacked Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula (the headquarters of Russian Black Sea Fleet)
Russia lost horribly

People began believing serfdom was an obstacle to economic development(HC)
Hundreds of revolts broke out during early 19th century from it(HC)
Tsar abolished institution of serfdom(HC)
- Remained a practice awhile afterward
Government compensated landowners for their loss of land and serfs who worked it.(HC)
Serfs received;(HC)
- Freedom
- Labor obligations slowly cancelled
- Gained opportunity to become landowners
But, they won few political rights and had to pay redemption taxes for received land.(HC)
Few peasants prospered and most found themselves in debt.(HC)

Government created zemstvos, elected district assembles, in 1864, to try and deal with local issues of health, education, and welfare.(HC)
All classes voted, but the zemstvos remained with the tsarist autocracy.(HC)
- Held authority over national issues, landowning nobility.
The legal reforms made helped to institute trial by jury for criminal offense, as well as elected justices of the peace for minor offenses.(HC)
Helped the emergence of attorneys and other legal experts.(HC)
Legal reform was more fruitful than expeirmentation with representative government.(JM)

prime mover behind Russian industrialization was Count Sergi Witte- minister of finance, 1892-1903
first budget in 1893 was outlined as 'removing the unfavorable conditions which hamper the economic development of the country' and 'kindling a healthy spirit of enterprise'
his implemented policies were designed to stimulate the economic development of Russia
his main project was a massive program of railway, linking far regions of the Russian empire
most important line was the trans-Siberian railway, which opened up Siberia to settlement, explotation, and industrialization
doing this raised the development of other industries too, not only Russia's economic situation
remodeled the state's bank and encouraged the establishment of using the banks for your savings and such; raised the domestic capital for industry
Witte supported infant industries with high tariffs' he also secured foreign loans from western Europe to help finance the industrialization
it all paid off in the end and helped to develop the steel and coal industries( French and Belgian) and petroleum industry in Caucasus( Britian)

(NA end)

Industrial Discontent-AE

For a decade, the Witte system played a crucial role in industrialization of Russia
Large segments of the population were unwilling to tolerate the low standard of living, that Witte's policy entailed
Industrial growth began to generate an urban working class
Economic exploitation and the lack of political freedom made workers increasingly interested in revolutionary propaganda and underground movements that soon developed among them
Not everyone was dissatisfied with the resuldts of intensified industrialization. For example, the growing Russian business class who benefitted from government policy

In the last thee decades of the 1800s anti-government protests and revolutionary activity increased, due to hopes aroused by promise of governmental reform.(JHO)
Intelligentsia(JHO)
- Class of intellectuals
- Sought substantial political reform and thorough social change
Anarchists (JHO)
- Opposed all forms of government and firmly believed individual freedom cannot be realized until all government is abolished.
- Some anarchists relied on terror tactics and intimidation to achieve their goals.
- Wanted to vest all authority in local governing councils elected by universal suffrage

Anarchists/ other radicals began traveling to rural areas to enlighten the peasantry(HC)
Peasants didn't understand what they were saying, but soon the police arrested the anarchists.(HC)
- Some of these people were sent to prison, others were sent to Siberia.
Tsarist began censoring publications & sent secret police to infiltrate to try and break up secret organizations.(HC)
In such places as Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, central Asia, & Baltic provinces, they opposed the tsarist autocracy.(HC)
- Began using schools and political groups to start separatist movements(in their own language); wanted independence from the empire.
Tsarist officials began repressing the use of different languages other than Russian. Also, they tried restricting education to those loyal to the tsarist state.(HC)
Jews were also big targets to the tsarist, who tolerated many anit-Jewish riots(pogroms)(HC)
Jews began migrating to western Europe and the United States to get away from this.(HC)

Terrorism (MR Start)

Groups began to form that supported the assassination of prominent government officials, in an attempt to influence political reform
The biggest of these was the Land and Freedom Party
A terrorist faction called the People's Will branched off from this party
They planned, and successfully assassinated Alexander the 2nd who had emancipated the serfs, and started a program of political and social reform
After Alexander's death, the era of reform was ended in Russia
Nicholas the 2nd took Alexander's place after he died
Nicholas attempted to maintain order by maintaining a powerful police force, and enforcing strict rule upon the people
He also tried to divert their attention away towards foreign countries, by attempting to expand into east Asia
East Asian countries also hoped to expand their lands
Conflict between Russia and Japan eventually led to the Russo-Japanese war (MR End)

January 1905; Group of workers marched to tsar's Winter Palace petitioning Nicholas for a popularly elected assembly.(HC)
Troops shot the petitioners, killing 130.(HC)
Caused an angry uproar, causing labor unrest, peasant insurrections, mutinies in both the army and navy.(HC)
Urban workers created new councils(soviets) to organize strikes/negotiate with employers & government authorities.(HC)
Tsar reluctantly established the Duma; their first parliamentary system.(HC)
Disorder still continued, especially in Polan, Ukraine, Georgia, and central Asia, where ehtnic tensions addded tension.(HC)